Babin in many ways epitomizes the current state of the Eagles -- a pure mercenary with little team feeling or interest in a bigger picture.

Babin came here because of a fat contract and because he could play in defensive line coach Jim Washburn's eccentric "wide nine" scheme, in which Babin did nothing but rush the passer so he could pile up his personal stat of sacks. Play the run? Are you kidding?

Knowing this, offenses simply let him run up field and then ran the ball where he had been. Maybe there's a reason most NFL teams don't use the "wide nine."

As long as Babin got his sacks, all was well with him, even when it wasn't for the team. And with just five and a half sacks in 11 games, Babin's monotone approach (he had just 21 tackles) wasn't worth it.

Dumping Babin, besides being a smart move that would allow some younger defensive ends such as 2012 draft pick Vinny Curry to earn valuable time, sends the message that the Eagles' lost season is the players' fault, too.

Yes, Reid's multiple mistakes and bad decisions have torpedoed the team. No one disputes that at this point. But owner Jeffrey Lurie has never fired a coach midseason and he won't likely do so now. It may well be more punishment for Reid to stick around and coach this mess than to get canned now and walk away.

That's not enough to win a lot of games in the NFL. There are a lot of players in the Eagles' locker room who only need to look in the mirror for why the team is 3-8.

Reid, to the last a players' coach, said Monday he does think the players are accountable for their actions. Dropping Babin backs that up. Now, how about some playing time for hard-working guys such as cornerbacks Brandon Hughes and Curtis Marsh, safety David Sims and defensive end Philip Hunt? They may not be stars, but it's hard to imagine they could be a lot worse than the high-paid, low-result types in front of them.

Rookie quarterback Nick Foles, who also needs to play whether or not Michael Vick is healthy, said something Sunday night that should resonate with every Eagles player.

"We're very fortunate to do what we do. We can never forget that," he said. "I wake up every day and I can't believe I'm an NFL player. Something I dreamed about as a kid. I love playing the game, and the reason I love playing the game is my teammates. You can’t do this forever."

Babin's departure should remind the rest of the Eagles of the truth in Foles' heartfelt comments.